Colloidal metal producing machine



, Nov. 19,1940. A. J. KUZMANN COLLOIDAL METAL PRODUCING MACHINE 2 Sheeis-Sheet 1 Filed Feb. 4, 1958 INVEN TOR. rllfagmmziz,

ATTORNEY.

Nov. 19, 1940. J KUZMANN' V 2,221,874

COLLOIDAL METAL- PRODIjCING MACHINE Filed Feb. 4, 1938 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR; fllgrazzder Jlfugmzzmg A TTORNE Y.

- Penman. v19, 1940- .UNITED STATES. PATENT OFFICE OOLLOIDAL METAL rnonncmc MACHINE Alexander J. Kuzmann, Philadelphia, Pa., assignor of five-sixteenths to .William C. Foulds, Germantown, Pm, and four-sixteenths to Dorothy T. BuschgDrexel Hill, Pa.

Application February 4, 1938., Serial No. 188,690

10 Claims. (01. 210-35) The objectof theinvention is to provide improvements in machines designed and especially adapted for the preparation of metals in colloidal form or size, but more particularly for the preparation of colloidal iron directly in the bath of the water which flows into boilers, for the purpose of treating such feedwater in a manner adapted to prevent the deposits of encrusting substances upon the tubes and other'surfacesof such boilers. Hereinafter, the term iron or colloidal iron" will be used to relate to any metals to which the invention is adapted.

An object of my invention'is, therefore, to pro- .vide a device which can be conveniently and safely used for making colloidal iron for correcting boiler feedwater difliculties expressed as scale, corrosion,'pitting, etc. This colloid making machine can be driven efl'ectively by Diesel enwater, in such manner that the surfaces of such balls gradually wore away during the production of finely divided iron particles, a substantialportion of which was of colloidal size. The disadvantage possessed by theballs in the Ferrochem devices resided in several details, among'which was that of the constantly decreasing diameter with resulting decrease in the surface contact of the balls, the localized wear of the surroundinginner wall surface of the device, so that when worn away to a certain degree the entire device had to be replaced, and especially the lack of any means for positively insuring the necessary movement of the balls to produce the desired attrition or disintegration of the same.

A further object, therefore, has been to overcome the deficiencies of this ,earlier device, andto provide a machine in which the disintegration or wearing away of theseveral elements, herein referred to as attrition, can be positively controlled, and one in which relatively large surfaces preferably of the same kind and type of metal uniformly engage ne another, both as to area and duration of such engagement, as well as 7 providing means for the positive feeding of each element of a group independently of the rest, so as to maintain a constant and substantially equal rate of attrition of the said elements, all being contained within a casing which can be located 5 within any desired feedwater supply, or circulatory system.

The improved colloidal iron making machine is a safe and simple apparatus needing no special attention and 'not liable-to get out of order, I

which can be applied to any pressure vessel, particularly steam boilers of all types, and also on any circulating system of any internal com-' bustion engine, to reduce heat transmission losses and mechanical destruction, due to corrosion and deposits of scale upon cooling and heating surfaces. I

Still' another object is to provide in such a device an arrangement, whereby laterally variable elements wear away both themselves and the adjacent portions of lining sections upon or adjacent to the side walls of the device, concurrently with the disintegration of said first-mentioned elements and adjacent lining sections, said laterally variable elements preferably being arranged in pairs or the equivalent, so that with an interposed resilient inember each element of such pair operates to force the otherelement outwardly.

And a still further object is to provide a further modified form of colloidal iron'machine,-in which the flow of water through the intake positively rotates the rotor element, substantially in accordance with the rate of flow, so as to produce colloidal iron in substantially direct proportion to the rate of flow of the feedwater admitted to. the

boiler, and the rotation of said'rotor being either independent of or in addition to an extraneous force, such as that which'can'be readily supplied by an electric motor or a small'steam engine or turbine unit, capable of using either live steam direct from the boiler,- or exhaust steam from apparatus using said live steam.

Referring to the drawings, Fig. I is a longitudinal diametri'cal section of a motor-driven colloidal iron producing machine, comprising one 5 embodiment of the invention; Fig. II is avertical transverse section, substantially through the central part of Fig. I, showing a portion of the rotor in elevation and the remainder in section;

Fig. III is a'view similar to Fig. I, but showing a 5 modified form of either a motor-driven or fluid actuatable (or both) colloidal iron producing machine; and Fig. IV is a section on the line of Fig. III.

Referring to Figs. I arfifl, a stator'casing com- 55 cumferentlally extending inwardly directed porprises a planular plate I provided with an integral peripheral cylindrical flange 2 and also with an oppositely extending, centrally positioned boss 3, through which extends an axial bore 4 terminating outwardly in any well-known form of packing gland 5, covered by an adjustable removable hexagonal nut 6. The opposite freely extending face of said flange is normally spanned by a planular closure plate 1, secured to said flange by removable bolts, or the like 8, and provided with a centrally positioned integral boss 9, having an axially positioned recess [0. The lower portion of the flange 2, as shown by Fig. 11, merges into oppositely directed aligned extensions I! and I2, through which extends a fluid channel I3, which intersects and is preferably tangential to the radially outer portion of the interior of said casing, the extension ll being adapted for'connection with a source of feedwater, while the extension I2 is designed for connection with the intake of a boiler.

Extending through the bore 4 and into the recess ID of the oppositely positioned closure plate, is a shaft l4 which may be driven by any desired form of electric motor or other prime mover- (not shown). This shaft at a central point within said casing is radially enlarged at l5, and to it is secured by means of a key IS a rotor l1, while surrounding said shaft upon the opposite sides of said enlargement are cylindrical packing members 18 and 19, which serve to prevent metallic particles; produced by the attrition of the elements within said casing, from entering the bearings of said shaft, and at the same time co operating to form bearings for said shaft. End thrust of said shaft may be limited by a disc thrust bearing 20 within the innermost portion of the recess Ill in the boss 9.

The rotor proper comprises a central body portion immediately surrounding said shaft enlargement l5, which body is provided with circumferentially spaced radial extensions 2! which relatively closely approach the inner surface 22 of a cylindrical lining section 23. These spaced portions of said rotor are provided with transversely extending radially directed slots 24 of rectangular cross-section, and in said slots are slidably positioned attrition elements 25, preferably of the same metal (such as a soft grey iron), as that which comprises the cylindrical lining element'23, each of said elements 25 being normally pressed outwardly against said lining sec tion by a compression coil spring 25, which at one end presses against the innermost wall 21 of one of a pair of spaced recesses in the rotor body I1, while the opposite end of said spring presses against the inner surface of a protective cylinder 28, which surrounds said spring and in turn bears directly against the radially inner surface of the adjacent element 25 within the extensions 2|. The lining section 23, as shown in Figs. I and II, comprises a central cylindrical portion having a circumferentially unbroken inner surface, except for longitudinally spaced segmental slots 23, the opposite ends of said central lining section merging into cylindrical flanges 30, and thence into outwardly directed planular flanges 3|, which latter are secured by bolts or the like 32, to radially outwardly extending planular flanges 33, carried by attrition plates 34, formed of the same kind and type of metal as that of the central section 23 of said lining and of the elements 25.

Each of said discs; 34 is provided with a ci r tion 35 of limited radial extent and positioned between concentric annular grooves 36 and 31, while one or more channels 38 are provided from the lowermost portion of the radially inner groove 31, through the portion 35 and outwardly positioned marginal portion 39, and finally through the flange 30, so as to open downwardly into an annular chamber 40 within the casing flange 2, I

and thereby in communication with the discharge channel 13. The body portion l1 of said rotor is provided with longitudinally extending air-'- cumferentially spaced parallel bores 4|, of equal distance radially from the axis of said rotor, and in alignment with the annular disintegrable portion 35 of each of the plate members 34. In each of these bores is positioned a pair of'oppositely directed disintegrable elements 42, the outer surfaces of which bear equally against and in frictional engagement with the adjacent surfaces of said annular lining portions 35, while said elements are preferably recessed within their adjacent ends as at 43, to provide a housing for a coil spring or the like 44.

With this construction, as the shaft I 4 is rotated, the elements 25 are forced radially outwardly against and in frictional engagement with the central lining section 23, while the elements 42 of each of said pairs are forced in laterally opposite directions, into frictional engagement with said annular portions 35 of the plate sections 34. By this arrangement, as the elements 25 and 42, as well as each of said lining sections, are formed of a disintegrable type of soft grey cast iron, the respective contacting surfaces wear away, with'the result that minute particles of iron, much if not all of which is of colloidal size, gravitate through their several paths into the lowermost portion of the chamber 40, whence they enter feedwater flowing into a boiler through the channel l3. By varying the speed at which -said rotor is operated, it should be quite obvious that the rate of production of the colloidal particles can be varied at will, as for instance, in accordance with the flow of feedwater into the boiler and also independently thereof, so'that an accumulation of such particles may be created during such time as the flow of water may be arrested, but which particles will be carried into the boiler immediately upon the resumption of such flow.

In order to warn the operator as soon as the central lining section 23 has worn away, to such thinness as to make it necessary to replace the several lining sections, there is provided an indicator in the form of a plug 45, which extends 55 removably into and through an aperture 46 in the flange 2 of said casing, thence through an upper portion of the chamber40, and into the central lining section 23. This plug is provided with a bore 41 which terminates slightly withirw the outer limit of the central portion of the liningmember 23, so that as said lining member is worn' outwardly from its interior, the adjacent end of said plug being formed of the same metal is correspondingly worn away, so that eventually u the inner surface of said central member reaches the dot-and-dash line 48 indicated in Fig. I, whereupon pressure 3f water within the conduit 13 and through the channels 38 and grooves 38 and 31, and finally the spaces between the radial extensions 23, is permitted to pass radially outwardly through the bore in said plug and finally through a lateral extension 48 of said bore, and through a lateral extension 50 of said plug, so

as to force outwardly a piston or the like 5|,

against the pressure of a spring 52 said extension 58 being covered 'by a cap 51a having .a'relief port 511), so as to thereby force outwardly a projection 53 carried by said plunger. into electrical 5 engagement with a contact .54, supported by a bracket 55, and thence by'meansof suitable wires 56 energize a bell or equivalent signalling device 5'I, so as to audibly, visually and/or otherwise warn the operator, that the said lining sections must be renewed beforeoperation of the device is continued further. a

Referring to Figs. III and IV, a modified form of the improved machine is shown ascomprising' 28 vided with an axialrecess 61. Throughthe bore 62 extends a shaft 68, which may be driven by an electric motor or other prime mover (not shown), said boss being provided with a suitable packing gland 69 and hexagonal nut I8 surround,-

ing said shaft, and upon its inner side with an enlarged axial recess II, containing one or more concentric packing members I2, while similar packing members I3 surround the inner opposite end of said shaft within the recess 61. Between 30 the plate 68 and closure 85, said shaft is provided with a radially enlarged portion I4, to which is secured in any suitable manner the body portion I5 of the rotor, which in turn comprises an artillery wheel spoke construction, including ra- 5 dially extending arms I6 provided with centrally disposed, transversely extending, substantially rectangularrecesses II, in which are positioned radially slidable elements I8 of soft grey iron or the like, which are normally forced radially outwardly by,-means of springs I8, the inner ends of which are seated within apertures 88 within the surface of the enlarged portion I4 of said shaft, while the major portion of each of said springs is housed within a thimble 8I, which thimbles are 5 slidable in bores 82 opening outwardly into the radial slots 11, the movement of said springs be: ing thereby guided by -said thimbles within said radial bores and through said thimbles cooper-,

' 3 respect to said flange, by virtue of a plug 84 extending longitudinally through the plate 88, and

partially embedded in the flange 63, and having the remainder of its inner end portion embedded in said lining section 83. This plug 84 is provided m 65 with an axial bore 85, in an enlarged outer portion .86 of which is mounted a piston 81, provided the outlet opening.

cating means. The purpose of the plug in this.

instance, though arranged slightly difierently, is I nevertheless similar to that shown in Figs. I and 11, so that if the lining section 83 wears away to an internal diameter indicated by the dot-anddash line I84, water under pressure within the device is permitted to enter the plug bore85, press the plunger 81 outwardly, close the contact between the pin 88 and the contact member IN,

and actuate the signal. 10

While the shaft 88 gnay be driven by a motor or other prime mover," the rotor in this case can be driven independently thereof by the force of the feedwater flowing through the device. For

this purpose, the flange 83 is provided with oppol8 sitely directed and preferably aligned integral channeled extensions I85 and I86, the first of which may be connected with a source of preheated water, while the second is normally connected with the intake of a boiler. The entrance I) through the casing flange 63 and lining member 83 is spaced from the exit, so that (see Fig. IV) water entering through the former fllls a cavity enclosed by said lining-section, a pair of adjacent spokes I6, the end plate 68, closure 65, and ada jacent attrition elements I8, with the result that the rotor is forced to revolve in the direction indicated by the arrow, until the water in the cavity thus defined is enabled to emerge through the outlet and pass-thence into the boiler, by which time a 80 secondcavity has come into registration with the inlet, and the actionis repeated in such manner as to provide a continuous rotation of said rotor. This operation is insured by ofisetting the axis of the internal cylindrical surface of the line 83 v85 with respect to the axis of the rotor, so that the capacity of each such'cavity increases as it passes the water inlet opening and decreases as it passes While the several forms ofthe device herein de- 40 scribed are all designed to achieve the same result,- it will be noted that the form shown in Figs. III and IV is most desirable in many respects, both due to its automatic operation independently of a motor drive, unless the same should be speciflcally desired, and also tothe fact that when necessary to replace the attrition elements, skilled labar is not required in order to remove the plate 85, withdraw the worn parts, insert a new plug, (if

said plug has also been worn into) and insert a will obviously produce more colloidal metal, than will the forms shown in Figs. III and IV, but is "not so simple to renew.

Finally, it is to be understood that in each type of the improved machine hereinbefore described, one or more of theattrition elementsin each, or oneor more portions of each attrition element,- may be composed of a metal or alloy other than pure iron, as for instance of nickel or an alloy with an outwardly extending pin 88, passing through a cap, 89- having a pressure-relief port 89a and normally positioned inwardly by means 70 of a coil spring 98, said cap being provided with thereof, so that the designatiomof iron inth'e appended claims is to be understood as broadly inf. eluding whatever metal, metals, or metal alloy may be or become suitable for the treatment of water, and adapted for use in the present type of machine.

Having thus described my invention, what I 9 claim as new and desire to protect by Letters Patent of the United States is:

l. A colloidal iron making machine, comprising a casing, a removable and replaceable attriing a casing, a separable cylindrical attrition lining section within said casing, a rotor within said lining, a variably positioned attrition ele' ment carried by said rotor, and resilient means to force said element into frictional engagement with said lining section.

3. A colloidal iron making machine, comprising a casing, a lining for said casing comprising a cylindrical section and laterally oppositely positioned plates, a rotor within said casing between said plates, a radial attrition element slidably supported by said rotor, resilient means to force said element into frictional engagement with said cylindrical section, a pair of oppositely directed attrition elements also movably carried by said rotor substantially parallel with the axis of said rotor, and resilient means to force said last-mentioned elements equally in opposite directions into frictional engagement with said plates.

4. A colloidal iron making machine, comprising a casing, a lining for said casing comprising longitudinally spaced attrition plates carried by and within said casing and a cylindrical attrition element connecting saidplates, a rotor within said casing betweensaid plates, a radial attrition element slidably supported by said rotor, resilient means to force said element into frictional engagement with said cylindrical element,

' a pair of oppositely directed attrition elements also movably carried by said rotor in alignment and substantially parallel with the axis of said rotor, and resilient means between and operative to force said last-mentioned elements in opposite directions and into frictional engagement with said plates.

5. A colloidal iron making machine, comprising a casing, a rotor within said casing, an attrition lining section having a cylindrical inner surface eccentric to the axisof said rotor,-spaced inlet and outlet ports leading into said casing, said rotor being provided with radial guideways, attrition elements positioned by said g uideways, and resilient means to force said elements radially outwardly into frictional engagement with the adjacent surface of said lining section, the volumetric area enclosedby said section, a pair of adjacent elements and the sides of said casing, varying as said rotor rotates about its axis under the force of water flowing through said casing between said inlet and outlet ports.

6. A colloidal iron making machine, comprising a hollow casing having an open end, a closure for said end, the interior of said casing presenting spaced side walls connected by a cylindrical wall,

a rotor within saidcasing, a cylindrical attrition lining section also within said casing, the inner surface of which is eccentric to the axis of said rotor, radially projecting spokes carried by said rotor and provided with guideways, attrition elements carried by said spokes and positioned by said guideways, and resilient means to force said elements radially outwardly into frictional engagement with said lining section, spaced inlet and outlet ports leading into said casing, the

volumetric area enclosedbysaid section, a pair of adjacent spokes and the elements carried thereby, and the sides of said casing, varying as said rotor rotates about its axis under the force of water flowing through said casing between said ports.

7. A colloidal iron making machine, comprising a casing, a lining for said casing comprising a cylindrical section and laterally oppositely positioned plates, a rotor within said casing between said plates, a radial attrition element slidably supported by said rotor, resilient means to force said element into frictional engagement with said cylindrical section, a pair of oppositely directed attrition elements also movably carried by said rotor substantially parallel with the axis of said rotor, resilient means to force said last-mentioned elements equally in opposite directions into frictional engagement with said plates, a plug no harder than said lining section extending into said section, and warning means connected to said plug, whereby a wearing away of said plug to a predetermined degree permits the actuation of said warning means.

8. A colloidal iron making machine, comprising a casing, a lining for said casing comprising longitudinally spaced attrition plates carried by and within said casing and a cylindrical attrition element-connecting said plates, a rotor within said casing between said plates, a radial attrition element slidably supportedby said rotor, resilient means to force said element into frictional engagement with said cylindrical element, a pair of oppositely directed attrition elements also movably carried by said rotor in alignment and substantially parallel with the axis of said rotor, resilient means between and operative to force said last-mentioned elements in opposite directions and into frictional engagement with said plates, a hollow plug no harder than said lining section extending into said section, a plunger within said plug, electrical contact means, and an electrically actuated warning means, operative to be actuated by current passing between said contact means when the position of said plug is shifted under the pressure of water within said casing, when said lining and plug have been worn away to a predetermined degree.

9. A colloidal iron making machine, comprising a casing, a rotor within said casing, an attrition lining section having a cylindrical inner surface eccentric to the axis of said rotor, spaced inlet and outlet ports leading into said casing, said rotor being provided with radial guideways, attrition elements positioned by said guideways, resilient means to force said elements radially outwardly into frictional engagement with the adjacent surface of said lining section, the volumetric area enclosed by said section, a pair of adjacent elements and the sides of said casing, varying as said rotor rotates about its axisunder the force of water flowing through said casing between said inlet and .outlet ports, a plug no harder than said lining section extending into said section, and warning means connected to said plug, whereby a wearing away of said plug -to a predetermined degree permits the actuation tional engagement with said lining section,

spaced inlet and outlet ports leading into said casing, the volumetric area enclosed by said section, a pair of adjacent spokes and the elements carried thereby, and the sides of said casing, varying as said rotor rotatesabout its axis under the force of water flowing through said casing between said ports, a hollow plug no harder than said lining section extending into said section,

a plunger within said plug, electrical contactmeans, and an electrically actuated warning means, operative to be actuated by current passing between said contact means when the position of said plug is shifted under the pressure of water within said casing, when said lining and plug have been worn away to a predetermined degree. 

